The meronomic model of cognitive change, and its application to Neolithic Çatalhöyük

The attempt to relate changes in human cognition to changes in human behaviour can be fruitful for cognitive science and archaeology alike. The process has the potential to enrich both our understanding of cognition, and interpretations of the archaeological evidence. A practical difficulty is the lack of clarity as to what cognitive change refers to. Characterisations vary considerably, even in regard to locus. Use of broad-brush terminology (e.g., `higher levels of consciousness') can add to the uncertainty. The present chapter argues that an effective way to understand cognitive change is in terms of conceptual structure, and the meronomic processes that apply. Building on the ontological distinction between meronomy and taxonomy, this approach allows cognitive change (by conceptual innovation) to be modeled precisely, while opening the way for quantification of conceptual creativity. This chapter shows how the model is derived, and explores some of the ways it might be connected with data from Çatalhöyük.